Golden Eyes

Natasha was using an energy rifle taken off of one of the dead Chitauri soldiers, before she was taken off her feet by a rather living one. She was tiresomely fighting and taking them down one by one just like the rest of us. It was like if you took one 20 more came in its place. There was no end in sight if this kept up. I would never voice it out loud but I was getting tired. Even with my hyped up energy from the mutation flowing inside me I was still draining, and fast. I felt the need to say something witty and sarcastic but I didn’t want to waste any energy on using words. Also it was too much work.

Natasha slashed the throat of another one before she quickly twirled and swung the energy rifle at something behind her. The All American Hero was standing behind her, blocking her attack with his shield. We both slumped back briefly at our quick break between Chitauri killings.

“They,” I put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I couldn’t sit down thought, afraid one of them might jump out at me or something. Holy shit I think I was dying. If I survived this I was getting one hell of a drink. “They won’t stop coming.”

“Captain, none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal.” Natasha said leaning against a car. I wasn’t the only one in need of a break.

“Our biggest guns couldn't touch it.” He said looking at her as I looked up at the portal above us. If freaky aliens weren’t pouring out of it I would be able to Marvel at how beautiful space was. You could see the stars and all the different colors splashed across it. Almost like a painter got a wave of inspiration and started stroking the paint across the canvas with love, like a lover softly grazing their fingertips across the skin of another. It was quite lovely.

“Well, maybe it's not about guns.” Natasha said, gesturing to the flying chariots.

“Copycat.” I smirked at her as I realized what she was hinting at.

“You wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride.” Steve proclaimed.

“I got a ride. I could use a lift though.” She backed up, giving herself a running start. Cap lifted and angles his shield getting ready.

“Are you sure about this? I mean I am more agile than you.” I said offering her some help. I mostly just wanted to make sure nothing happened her. She was still human and I could see she was a lot worse off than I was.

“Yeah. It's gonna be fun.” She winked at me before she started running at Steve. She did a parkour move, learned from our rigorous training in SHIELD, and used her feet to run up the car next to me before jumping on his shield. He grunted as he gave her a boost with it, sending her flying towards a chariot. She grabbed onto it quickly disarming and dispatching its rider and pilot.

“Thought you could use a hand down here.” I turned away from Natasha and found myself face to face with Stark. I had never been so glad to see him because a new wave of Chitauri was headed our way and I was fighting the urge to give up because of how tired I was. We had been fighting for hours now and I was getting worried.

“It’s good to see you old friend.” I said with a smile as I turned away from, stabbing one of the aliens in the head with my knife as it came up beside me.

“Still not as old as you.” He retorted and I laughed.

“At least I’m still physically in my 20s there Tony.” He looked at me with a glare as I winked. I got him there.

He made his way down to Steve, who was fighting off even more soldiers. Steve looked over to him as Stark raised and point his hand boosters at the Captain’s shield. Steve lifted it up, bracing himself, as the energy comes out towards him. Cap used it as a reflection beam and takes down nearby Chitauri.

Stark started chasing after a group of them and from us, Hawkeye started sending down remaining arrows. He sent one across the street, taking down a rider following after Stark.

“Oh no you don’t.” I looked behind me as I kept fighting at the same time. The Cap was pinned down by one of the soldiers using its energy rifle. I felt myself bristle in rage as I launched myself at the enemy at full speed, tackling it to floor. Our bodies rolled along the street and before I could get up, the thing had me pinned down next. With one hand I was holding back its weapon and with my other I was reaching for my own. My gun had been knocked out of my hands as I tumbled with the thing. The tip of the energy rifle was slowly coming towards my throat. I growled deep in my throat. I refused to die like this!

There was a whooshing sound and a metallic thud. I blinked up in shock at the sudden release of pressure against me. The soldiers head was knocked clean off and its decapitated body was on top of me. I felt my stomach rolling at the sight. Oh that’s nasty. I looked to my right to see the Captains shield lodged in the wall with the things head rolling away still. I let out a loud sigh of relief. That was way too close.

“You okay?”

I looked up at him with a thankful smile. “Been better honestly but can’t complain too much.”

He pulled me up to my feet after yanking the dead body off of me. He quickly looked me over for any wounds as I scooped up its energy rifle and my handgun. My knife was somewhere in one of these bodies after I had thrown it into a heart.

I cracked my neck and rotated my shoulder hissing in pain all of a sudden. I hadn’t realized I had dislocated my right shoulder from the tumble. My hand flew to the pain and I flinched. Steve was on it at a moments notice.

“It needs to-.”

“Shut up and just push it back it before it heals the wrong way!” I yelled, bracing myself as he put his hand on it. The mere touch not only sent pain throughout my body but also pleasure. He was touching me and I knew deep in my heart I was a fool but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t look him in the eyes as I grabbed onto his arm to prepare myself.

He didn’t even bother counting to three or anything.

He shoved it back in making me scream out in pain as I dug my nails into his suit. It was over in a heartbeat but the pain wasn’t dulling quickly enough. At least I didn’t cry this time.

His arms were wrapped around me trying to comfort me and as much as I wanted to stay there I wasn’t going to torture myself. I pulled away muttering a few choice curse words before rotating it again to see if it worked.

It did.

“Vanessa I-.” He was interrupted by Hawkeye.

“Vanessa, the bank on 42nd past Madison, they caught a lot of civilians there.”

“Alright I'm on it.” I said breaking away from Steve and heading in the direction of the bank, which was a few streets down. He had run after me, keeping up at a decent stride, and I was pretty fast.

A quick visual recon showed me that a dozen of the civilians were gathered in banks lobby area. There were three Chitauri soldiers overseeing them, pointing their weapons at them. I couldn’t help but remember that fateful day when the Nazi soldiers had done the same to me before they started torturing me. I blinked myself back to reality. One of them looked like they were charging a bomb. I informed Steve on what was going on and he sprang into action with me behind him. He jumped through the window and threw his SHIELD at the bomber. The other two aim their rifles, but I had already headed for cover under a desk, kicking it at them and running behind it like my own shield. I jumped over it wrapping my legs around one of their heads and using the moving force of my body, twisted it with me. I didn’t wait even a second to see if it was still alive. Alien or not there were bones in its body and I just snapped its neck like a twig.

The other soldier was expecting me and grabbed me slamming me to the floor. I thrusted my fist up knocking its head back before kicking it in the stomach, sending it flying over the railing where the civilians were gathered behind. The beeping was getting faster and I looked over to Steve screaming for him to get out.

“Everyone! Clear out!” I screamed at them making them bolt for their lives. I quickly turned back to the bomb running for it. Did I think I could stop it? Not at all but I was going to try. The last remaining soldier was running for it as well and I knew I had to make it before he did. I knew I would either throw myself on top of it or kick it to the back of the bank. He could throw it at the crowd of running civilians.

I never made it to the bomb.

Steve ran into me from the side, sending me flying into a pillar. What was with people slamming into me today?!

“I told you to leave! You weren’t supposed to stay!” I yelled at him, tears threatening to fall. He wasn’t supposed to die and it would be all my fault if he did. He towered over me before throwing himself on top me, blocking us with his shield as the beep went on at an all-time racing sound.

“I’m not leaving without you!” He yelled back at me as the bomb went off. The blast crashed into us like a brick wall and if not for his shield it would have probably killed us. It did however send us flying backwards back out onto the street into a parked car. He had his body angled so that he took most of the force. It still didn’t stop us from making a painful grunt. Not to mention the ringing in my ears. Son of a bitch!

“I don’t get paid enough for this.” I muttered into his chest as I held on tightly. His arm didn’t release me and I think we were too shocked to even move. We were both panting and I could feel his heart thudding behind his ribcage. He chuckled at my comment.

“I need a vacation after this.” He said lowering his arm that held the shield but not the one holding me.

“Cheers to that one.” I peeled my face off of his chest looking around but still holding onto him. I was going to relish in this moment for a bit longer. I almost died and I had been okay with that. When Steve didn’t leave though and I realized he could die my heart had stopped. I may be heartbroken and upset but even I didn’t want to think of a world where he wasn’t in it.

“What was that back there by the way?”

I knew instantly what he was talking about. “I, um, thought I could somehow stop the boom in some way.”

I stiffen under me and I waited for the yelling to start. It never came though. Instead he held on tighter. “You were planning on sacrificing yourself. Why would you do that?”

“For the greater good? I don’t know. I just thought that if maybe I could get it to the back of the bank or maybe throw myself on it that it would save lives. Besides I wanted to leave SHIELD anyways. What better way to go out then with a bang?”

He flinched under me and looked away.

“Too soon?” He nodded. “Sorry.”

He gets off the car still holding onto me but allowing me to move. I looked around the city. Destroyed. Debris everywhere. Bodies of civilians and aliens alike. The police and firemen arrived, pulling out the civilians we saved from surrounding areas. I noticed a woman in what looked like a waitress uniform staring at us. I caught her gaze and she nodded at me with a silent ‘thank you’. I smiled at her.

“Carson, Stark, you hearing me? We have a missile headed straight for the city.” And the moments peace was destroyed. Back to reality. I stepped away from Steve and started running back towards Stark Tower as Fury spoke to me in my ear piece which surprising was still where it was supposed to be.

“Copy that. How long?” Please don’t say soon. Please don’t say soon.

“Three minutes, at best. Stay low and wipe out the missile.” Son of a motherfucking bitch ass cunt!! Oh my mom would have beat me had she ever heard me say something like that. Desperate times call for desperate measures though.

“Stark, you copy that?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

And then there were more aliens in front of me. Come on! Give me a break! I looked back at Steve with a smile. I was feeling a slight surge in energy and I was ready to beat these assholes back into another universe. Thor came slamming down onto the street sending a course of lightening into the surround Chitauri. They all fell, convulsing as they went.
And so it went as all three of us fought side by side to defend this place we called home. Well at least two of the three called home. Steve had turned just as an energy blast struck him down hard. Thor ran over to a broken car, swinging the hammer and flipping the car over and over on its side, crushing a few of the soldiers. Steve tries to get up with Thor helping him back to his feet.

“You okay over there Boy Wonder?” I asked as I punched on the Chitauri in the face sending flying backwards into one of its own. I pulled out my gun and with a single POP sound sent both down to the floor, dead. I looked at Steve.

“What? You gettin' sleepy?” He asked with a smile and I rolled my eyes.

“I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!” Natasha’s loud excited voice was heard among all of us. I looked up to the portal with a frown as a million thoughts began running through my head. No no no I needed that thing open!

Steve was relieved as he shouted to her, “Do it!”

“No, wait!” I yelled out in a panic.

“Vanessa, these things are still coming!” He was dumbfounded as to why I didn’t want it closed.

“We got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute. I need Tony to handle it but I know just where he can put it.”

I let my eyes drift from Steve’s face towards the portal. His eyes widened a fraction as I smiled.

“Stark, it’s all on you.” I whispered.